Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-01-07
OLYMPIA. WaSHINGTpN TER {.
0-iNPlA. fEIpAI EVENING, JAN. I. lNN.
Some Things We Don't Like IL see.

Some Things We Don't Like IL see.
The Mandan pakotaJ Pj"r..r COM
plains hrcau-c a Jude oi thc District
Court in that Territory. himself a car
p.,-ha-s,r. has imported hi clerks
from the East. notwithstanding there
ar, hundreds q: faithful Democrats
There who have earned recognition 10y
lung continued and faithful party SET
wee. Il j. nothing new. although il
d,,-> seem {" conflict somewhat with
On. ii the blanks al the National Dem
cratic Platform. our own Territory.
not content with sending 10 Minnesota
ai.l Illinois ior h..r butter and cheese.
has seen r. in tiln,> }'a>t L. order her
cll-tom-huu>,. clerks from Indiana and
Texas; but this i by no means the
only caus, for complaint. and doubt
l,>> our contemporary Will find paral-
lei cases in his division oi the political
heritage Perniciou>lv active ReIuhli-
cans have been retained in many inn
lurtant positions under late Federal
appointee>. and some Of the most Of
fcn>ive OF Republican >mall-fry poll
tician> have been appointed to office
by profe>s.dly Democratic otficc-hUld
crs. The Presidents example. recog-
nizing tenure OF four wears in the
Federal offices, We hold, affords no
precedent for the retention OF suhordi-
mates filling clerical positions At the
sole will and discretion OF the Federal
incumbent, and the appointment OF
offensive Republican partisans is in
direct conflict with Mr.. Cleveland's
well known views, and is contrary to
what has been his uniform practice
in making Federal appointment for
many months past.
1t may be true, as is sometimes
claimed, that the extraordinary pro-
ficiency developed by quarter cen
tury's monopoly OF the office-holding
prerogative is of benefit to the public
service 50 far as the red-tape part OF
the work is concerned, but the princi-
pie, If admitted, recognizes a system
OF life-tenure that is exceedingly inim-
zeal to the fundamental idea Of free
government, and completely subverts
the American belief that an occasional,
ii not frequent change, is necessary to
preserve popular government in all its
original vigor and integrity.
1t does not require much political
sagacity to discover that radical de-
parture from Il well-detined expression
of the popular will under representa-
tive government cannot be justified by
the practical results Of Utopian ideas
of reform. Over four millions OF peo-
pie voted in November, 1884, for IA
change-not a change in policy alone
not a change to be made by the same
instruments which had been so inef-
fective in times past; not a change OF
President and Cabinet alone; but a
change as wide-sweeping as the winds
OF heaven-a thorough cleansing of
the Augean stables by Hercules OF
their own selection, the tried and
trusted Democratic party. Very few
of the rank and file OF this host ex-
pected or desired Office. The camp
followers had about all deserted it in
the twenty years campaign of disas-
ter. Those who hungered for the
flesh-pots had gone where the savory
odor gave promise of a repast. Those
who could be lured from duty by the
hope of sinecure positions, or the pro-
fits of whisky and postal ring combi-
nations, had all joined the Republican
party. Still this mighty throng,
whose history presents the most I'M
PARALLEL record for persistence in sup
port OF principle, We're twice victors at
the polls, before the reins OF power
could be wrested from the party which
now supplies an army OF Hold Over
officers and assume to furnish recruits
for Democratic reform service! The
victors very naturally expected that
within reasonable time the entire
machinery of Government would pass
under the control of those whose fidel-
ity had been tested by devotion that
had not tagged and 4 courage that
had upheld the flag when it had been
carried amid defeat and apparently
hopeless disaster.
They have been disappointed, but
have tempered their judgment with
that rare moderation which is the out
growth of conservatism. They have
supported the President as the head OF
the party, although doubling the ex-
pediency OF much that passes us civil
service reform. They are still willing
that he should use his own judgment,
especially as there is every indication
that he is eliminating from his
reform policy such OF its features
as experience shows to be pro
ductive OF no good results. They
do not, however, believe that the
non-partisan course of the Administra-
ton in reference to offices having a
fixed tenure, should apply to positions
which do not come under the civil ser
vice rules, and which if they did
would suggest the propriety Of
change for "pernicious activ'
ity" in political matters, ii for ne
o,bar cauSa The Rapuhlinaps wb1